Yasuo/Strategy
Champion Spotlight By David 'Phreak' Turley Champion Spotlight: Yasuo, the Unforgiven A marked man with nothing to lose and only his honor to reclaim, tempestuous path has finally found the Fields of Justice. Bear witness to his unrelenting power and learn more about the Unforgiven in the Yasuo Champion Spotlight. Yasuo's mastery of both wind and blade is unrivaled. A lethal and disruptive powerhouse against even the hardiest of enemies, Yasuo relies on and his unique to shield himself and his allies from distant threats while he gathers his strength through . When the time comes, Yasuo uses to dash through the enemy line until he's face to face with vulnerable enemies. A final launches the Unforgiven's foes to the skies, enabling Yasuo to head skywards himself and unleash his airborne , . Recommended Items Tips ;Playing As * Dash through a minion to have available to chase your opponent should they flee; Dash directly to your opponent to preserve a minion as your escape route. * At level 18, reaches its Attack Speed cap with 69% Attack Speed from items, runes, and masteries. * can be cast on any target that is , even by one of your allies. ;Playing Against * is very narrow. Dodge laterally if possible. * When lands two s in a row, his next will fire a tornado. Watch and listen for the associated sound to prepare to dodge. * is at his weakest just after he has launched a whirlwind. Engage at that point. * shield from lasts only 1 second. Dealing damage to him will trigger it. Wait it out, then engage. Tricks ;Ability Usage * strength as a fighter/assassin lies in his unique kit of power and utility, with his granting him early game protection and immense late game power, mobility from , the defensive potential of , and the teamfight potential of . ** However he is fairly item dependent for damage due to poor base stats and is not very durable, as his kit emphasizes avoiding damage entirely rather than soaking it. This and his reliance on sustained damage make several of his abilities require solid timing and positioning as well as precise usage when going all-in, therefore risking a misplay. *** Add to that the fact all of his abilities can also be baited, the most notorious example being a ranged champion being able to pop 's shield with something as simple as an autoattack. * doubles your total , giving a huge late game powerspike. * shields from incoming attacks for a short time, but only when his bar is filled. Use this to your advantage when trading during early game as most (if not all) of the damage you take will be nullified. ** However, it can be baited by smart players and/or counter champions alike. Be very mindful of this and be sure to know when to engage. * Since has no cost and has a very short cooldown, it is a great tool for harassing and last hitting in lane. ** Be very careful though, as 's range is very narrow, and it's quickcast by default. Missing with it can especially be costly in most direct confrontations, and mistiming by using it too early it may cause a very-needed basic attack to be cancelled during a duel. This can also be very true if is not spaced properly to determine well-enough when and if he can consistently land it. Normal skillshot reactions would apply much better for the third cast however, depending on the player's preference, experience and adjustment. Other than that, if one is often missing due to its narrow range and skillshot nature on third cast, can be used while is on cooldown (1 second or less) but it doesn't make cast faster or bypass the cooldown since there is still the travel time from . ** During late game, may also deal less damage than autoattacks if has enough built, due to the damage penalty on 's . Be wary of this so you can focus more on ensured autoattacks landing as opposed to an unwarranted cast. * and can be used to cancel autoattack animations, where the former does not fully interrupt them and can be timed in the middle of an autoattack cycle to increase damage output. However, using from may result in some recovery time compared to it being used standalone. * is best used when there are nearby minions, for the following reasons: *# It deals more damage for each successive target. *# It allows for quick juking, closing or escaping. Do not be afraid to use it to last hit someone in a duel when you can. *# Using during will still allow you to move during the casting animation. Make sure to know where to walk/run to midst-attack, so you can safely harass or assault your opponent just after your combo. But be sure to space this correctly; using this combo can result in the AoE missing certain targets mainly if you dashed past them too far with . *#* However, 's greatest weakness is in the mobility it provides being heavily situational and position-dependent. It's possible to dash the wrong way past your target, as well as get interrupted by any form of crowd control. It also does not provide a form of invulnerability, a staple for most fighter/assassins. Make sure you're not tempted to use it if it means risking getting close to a champion who can easily catch you out. * blocks all projectiles that hit it, not necessarily only from where it was cast. Circling around the wall while against a ranged champion is a great way to block all of their damage. ** is also able to block and attacks, making it a great ability to use against them. ** doesn't block autoattacks from , , , and with , because these aren't projectiles. * can only be used when an enemy champion is . However the isn't limited to the third cast. -inducing abilities can be used as well.}} ** Be forewarned that the come from one of your allies' abilities or yours. Any self-inflicted ability used by enemy champions allow usage of (e.g. ) ** 's blink has a long range, so you can use it as a gapcloser. ** can be killed while using . The shield, however, fully regenerates upon cast, allowing him to survive some burst that comes his way. ** applies the damage as smashes his enemies to the ground. If he is killed before the ability is finished, no damage will be applied. ** Some abilities such as can be used to initiate even though they're not normally considered . Knowing which abilities can trigger usage of can give more engage opportunities and potentially surprise opponents. * can apply the following tricks with , along with other tips tying into its timing as well: *# There is actually a short window of time that can use to activate after the target has landed. All enemies hit will be for another seconds. Keep in mind that this is an extremely short margin, perhaps seconds or less, and is not very reliable, unless he can land an autoattack for extra damage by spacing the cast time of 's and simply waiting for his target to almost land before using . Given 's nature as a melee DPS autoattacker, this works quite well but it's often best applied if a target goes at a close enough range to pull it off. *# With enough to shorten 's cooldown, and if uses its to trigger , he can wait till the effect is almost done (especially one that can linger, like for example against targets in a row) and, as the opponent hits the ground, enable to have ready not only sooner, but even during 's animation (and thus cast during that time), allowing him to rack up even more damage on the chosen target. *#* This however would not apply if a (especially an allied one) enables the moment he may not even have cast in the first place (thus it being off-cooldown). Either way, this means he can cast during regardless. *# Beware once and his target(s) land from , as it's very important to know where to aim his abilities or any of his incoming/planned actions. For example, it's possible to land from and prepare to land when landing next to the target, only to aim it the wrong way during a decisive moment. Because of this, it's not always suggested to press the attack right after , but rather 'running-and-tagging' with 's activation can sometimes be the better option, especially if you need to return later for a possible clean up during a teamfight. Yasuo also cannot autoattack for a slight while after landing his ultimate. *# Waiting till or his team actually launches the correct target is also very important, since he will blink to any target first , but soon-to-be-launched ones will not be hit if casts too early, causing him to potentially waste the burst damage and misplay an engage. This gets even worse if the enemy team is prepared and ready to focus him and shut him down, considering is still targetable while ulting. As such, it's often best to save for when a kill is sure to be secured or when you can simply use the bonus armor penetration buff as you safely get away for re-positioning. Misusing (especially if used out of temptation after a ) can easily lead to it being baited and being dragged closer to the enemy team, ensuring punishment. * If you are dueling against another champion, when you landing the knock-up of , instead of using immediately, land an auto attack followed by to add in extra auto attack damage to advantage you over your enemy. ;Mastery Usage * ;Item Usage * is usually played mid and sometimes top. Alternatively, he can be the ADC or the jungler, but neither is recommended due to the inherent difficulties coupled with his squishiness. * As a damage dealer for his team, can quickly become lethal by purchasing , , and . ** Because will double 's as well as benefiting from it, are more for him than any other type of item}}. For example: / and will give 100% for only . *** 's and growth per level is very low, which makes him over-reliant on .}} To balance this, acquiring stats such as , , and life steal, is absolutely key to making sure can put out as much consistent damage, especially against tankier opposition. * is usually rushed, for it has major synergy with , (which can land an to proc ) and it also helps offset the ability's penalty. can also potentially increase 's damage or at least keep it up to par with -empowered autoattacks. This makes it a perfect fit for , whom after completing the item (and whose player once knows the range of ) becomes extremely hard to lane against thanks to providing solid burst and extreme harassment capabilities. The additional movement speed pairs with to allow to be frequently on the move as well as accelerate generation for 's shield. * / usually follows right away. However, due to how expensive it is, one may opt for other items with other stats (whether offensive or defensive) to make less dependent on s for his damage output. But ever since Season 6, the introduction of item changes allows Yasuo's core build to be more flexible: ** provides overall useful stats (except ) and since has many low cooldown abilities, is relatively easy to proc (and can be used to empower even more) and so is (for even more mobility). While the Spellblade cannot crit, it allows Yasuo to easily siege towers and possess consistent burst on , even if he misses with it so that way his auto attacks can still use the proc. The HP it provides is also solid for tanky Yasuo builds, though no longer having any critical chance hinders it somewhat. ** could complement or even substitute . However, may not find nearly as useful as , but only when it comes to burst. The same cannot be said for however, as Yasuo can build for dueling potential, especially when built alongside for tanky-bruiser builds. *** With these four items in hand, Yasuo's means of achieving 100% crit is more flexible than before through two of the four items (with one that provides 30% and the other providing merely 20%). * are the standard boots of choice. It and 's combined reduce 's cooldown to its maximum of seconds. Yet if one wishes to obtain from other sources, other boots can be purchased instead, whether , , , or even (the latter provide with much more movement speed needed to roam and build up even more , but they have more better usage outside of combat as opposed to duels or teamfights alike) * Cooldown reduction is generally less valuable of a stat on since 's is reduced by and 's cannot be reduced. However, it can still be useful since and have no cost but fair cooldowns. Especially reducing the cooldown of can be quite powerful if your teammates can regularly launch people . * Since does a lot of autoattack damage (including ), life steal from , , or , would be very good to have. ** gives a huge lifesteal bonus, making it an excellent item for dueling as well as allowing you to build a shield on top of your one. ** is slightly less offensive but allows for very quick waveclearing, and a stronger burst with . Note that does . ** will do the least damage out of the 3 (unless you have ), but has a good active ability that can be useful for chasing or escaping, as well as providing attack speed that is great for his overall DPS nature (as well as increasing damage though ). * Due to him being susceptible to crowd control, either or can be very valuable, especially against a heavy team due to his 0 magic resist scaling. * The from is often very good for most raw damage builds or the player seeking to peel defenses with powerful sustained damage (as well as make it a part of more tankier builds due to the ). ** isn't a common item, but can easily make use of the cooldown reduction (just like with ) for and , as well as more importantly, give him defensive bypass with . The most rewarding aspect is its active, where can easily use it to chase down/run away from targets, and output damage at a much faster rate (especially with higher spam) to towers and enemy champions in duels alike. * is not exploitable by because while costs nothing, does not require a target, and has a cooldown lower than the stack expiration. and require hitting a unit in order to generate and keep max stacks. He does not make very good use of the unless it's for , which allows him to last-hit minions for wave-clearing very well. ** is also a solid item that works both offensively and defensively (again, for to last-hit better and to have more initiation damage), but should mainly be considered only against a heavy team. * can greatly reduce 's vulnerability to being burst down and allow time to engage. * is another valuable item, providing , , , and both and help his survivability in critical situations. * Due to lacking inherent durability and, as a result, being reliant on avoiding damage to stay alive, it is often advised to purchase some defensive items to help boost his survivability. ** is one of the best items to build on if one already has and some other item to cover for . It is especially effective against other -reliant champions and for allowing easier 1v1 situations as a result. ** can also be a more risky but viable niche option, due to allowing for much better sustained damage potential during any fight, a teamfight or 1v1 alike. ** as usual is a very common pick for most champions of a carry-nature, especially of the melee DPS variety. Its passive can easily allow to thrive more in fights and finish a clean up, as well as force the enemy team into killing him in order to waste some of their more valuable resources once he revives, which is the gameplan for many a user. ** is also great for giving him an increase in sustain for his life steal items, as well as giving some slight . ** is also a solid item to help increase his on-hit damage and his mobility. is also a solid tanky-damage item that also provides for his on-hit damage, but at a more consistent rate while not offering the same mobility passive. ** is also a wonderful tanky item on , especially for his recent bruiser builds. The passive greatly allows him to be disruptive in teamfights, and its base damage boost helps with increasing the damage of . ;Countering * Early game, relies heavily on s for his overall damage output due to his low and growth per level. is a very good stat to mitigate most of his damage if he hasn't rushed any armor penetration or has yet to land for the bonus armor penetration buff, especially if he only has items with no extra damage early game. * can be potentially devastating to Mages and Marksmen alike. Champions that can quickly reposition themselves through or around the wall (such as , , , etc.) can largely nullify it. ** Additionally, is probably useless against Champions who purely rely on melee combat like . * Be very careful about using global projectile ultimates such as and when is nearby, and only use them when you know is on cooldown and/or isn't near the target. This also goes for initiation abilities such as , , or . ** blocks many skillshots and targeted abilities, but it does block instantaneous abilities like , 'overhead' abilities like , and terrain-based abilities like . Knowing what can bypass can give you a great advantage. ** A common strategy against Yasuo is to bait his using any auto attack when using any ranged champion. * has a narrow hitbox on the first two casts, but the tornado on third cast has deceptively long range for a skillshot. Sidestep to avoid the knockup, or stay very far away just to run out of its total range. * can generate a very strong shield as levels up, but it lasts for a very brief duration. Treat it like a and pop it with one of your lesser abilities or a ranged autoaatack before fully engaging . * Building (unless builds ) can mitigate the effect of , since it only works against armor}} rather than armor}}. ** Some players give up on building and instead buy more lifesteal and rely on to deal with enemies that stack . You can take advantage of this; dodge any knockups that the enemy team may have, and build . * Focusing or interrupting with hard crowd control can make him very easy to kill. If your aim is good, don't be afraid use crowd control on him while he's dashing, less so since can't use mid-dash. * While a capable fighter/assassin on his own, 's kit makes him one of the most team composition-reliant champions in League. Take note of his allies to gauge just how much of a threat will be. * As a melee ADC with an ability that scales based on ( ) as the center of his kit, items like and can have a big impact on 's damage output. ** On top of being dependent on , is considered an autoattack and therefore procs . This will allow him to receive a massive amount of recoil due to his damage output relying on . *** is tailored to counter : it adds to his innate damage reduction penalty on s, and reduces his . All this effectively hinders 's dueling potential. * Playing any champion that can potentially block & negate his is generally a good idea against . ** , & are considered one of the best counters against because they can block the first 2 casts of thanks to , & respectively, additionally, can potentially outscale by building Attack Speed Items like , he can also build against him, can block all of three casts of thanks to & has a powerful early game against him and is generally useless against them since they are purely melee. * Choosing any champion that can also out-duel Yasuo is generally a good idea. ** is one of the few champions that can actually outpower him in all stages in the game. Riven can actually sidestep the tornado of with & by sidestepping , and activating she can go full combo and launch a on Yasuo if he is on low health. References Category:Champion strategies Category:Yasuo